Everything you need to know about the Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking/mass child molestation and rape scandal

BACKGROUND: American financier and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is accused of raping and molesting dozens of underage girls with the help of partner/lover Ghislaine Maxwell. The sexual assaults, reported from the 1990’s to early 2000’s occurred in several locations throughout the United States and on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean Sea. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited his sex trafficking trial. Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20 year sentence after being convicted, in 2021, of transporting and sexually assaulting minors, among other charges.

1996: The Farmer sisters accuse Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of sexual assault following alleged incidents of groping in New Mexico and Ohio. They reportedly contact both the New York Police Department and FBI to report the sexual assault but are never followed up with until 2006.

March 2005: Police in Palm Beach, Florida receive a call from the stepmother of a 14-year-old girl. She says the minor was paid by Jeffrey Epstein to massage him. The case is assigned to the Palm Beach Police Special Investigations Unit, according to former police chief Michael Reiter.

October 2005: Police execute a search warrant on Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida after speaking with multiple Epstein victims and learning of dozens more.

July 2006: Jeffrey Epstein is indicted by a grand jury in Florida and is charged with a single felony count of solicitation of prostitution. The charges are limited to one count after the grand jury questions the credibility of the young victims. In a letter to some of Epstein’s victims, Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter says “I do not feel that justice has been sufficiently served by the indictment that has been issued”, and refers the case to the FBI.

2007: U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who later becomes Labor Secretary under former President Trump, declines to charge Jeffrey Epstein federally, following a lengthy investigation. An unprecedented and heavily criticized plea deal with Epstein is negotiated and finalized in 2008.

June 2008: Jeffery Epstein pleads guilty to two charges of felony solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution, as part of a plea deal with U.S. Attorney, Alexander Acosta. Epstein is sentenced to 18 months in a minimum security prison in Palm Beach County, followed by 12 months of community control. Under the deal, Epstein is also granted immunity from future charges. Jeffery Epstein is granted work-release six days a week.

July 2009: Jeffrey Epstein is released from prison early, after serving less than 13 months. Epstein registers as a sex offender per his plea deal. According to private investigator Michael Fisten, Epstein violates his probation dozens of times, allegedly sneaking out of his Palm Beach mansion, even traveling by private plane to other states. In an interview for the Netflix docuseries Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, Fisten says “Just think about this, you have a pedophile out on probation, to violate probation in the state of Florida is illegal, except for Jeffrey Epstein”.

2010-2018: For eight years, several civil lawsuits and motions are filed by Epstein victims. Settlements are awarded by multiple people in Jeffery Epstein’s inner circle to accusers.

February 2019: Federal Judge, Kenneth A. Marra, rules that federal prosecutors broke the law back in 2008, by not informing accusers of Jeffrey Epstein that they were entering a plea agreement with him, violating the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA).

July 2019: Jeffrey Epstein is arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey after being charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking of underage girls. He is remanded to custody pending his trial after investigators reveal that they found a safe containing large amounts of cash, diamonds and a fake passport in his Manhattan home. Alexander Acosta resigns as Labor Secretary under former President Trump, following intense backlash regarding the 2008 plea deal.

August 2019: Jeffery Epstein is found dead in his jail cell. An investigation rules his death a suicide but many are not convinced that Epstein killed himself.

July 2020: Ghislaine Maxwell is arrested and charged with six federal counts of conspiracy, perjury and is accused of facilitating, engaging in and aiding Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual abuse of minors, according to the indictment.

November 2020: The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), concludes an investigation into prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, after allegations that they “improperly resolved a federal investigation into the criminal conduct of Jeffrey Epstein by negotiating and executing a federal non-prosecution agreement (NPA)”. The OPR finds that U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta’s “decision to resolve the federal investigation through the NPA constitutes poor judgment”, but finds that he did not commit professional misconduct.

December 2021: Ghislaine Maxwell is convicted of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor. She is sentenced to 20 years in prison.

December 2023: U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska orders a redacted list of more than 150 Epstein associates be unsealed after January 1st, 2024, as part of an already settled civil suit against Ghislaine Maxwell. This list reportedly includes Epstein victims (some of whom will remain anonymous) as well as prominent figures like former president Bill Clinton and Duke of York, Prince Andrew. Those mentioned on this list did not necessarily participate in any illegal activities with Epstein and/or Maxwell.